The Irish standard., 1887-02-26
GL|MpSES OF the PAST.
A Brief Sketch of the Ancient Town
of Athy, County Kildare,
Ireland.
THE FOUNDING OF THE TOWN.

| THE FOUNDING OF THE TOWN
The Charter Constituting the Market Towr
Of Athy a Borough was Pro-
cured in 1915.
The following will, no doubt. be 0i
interest to all students Of Irish history
and especially 50 TO those Of our read
) ers who are natives Of the county Kill
dare or who have visited that part OF
Ireland. 1t was published III the 'An-
thologia Mibernica" in May. 1888. and
the reader must bear this date ia mind
When the article refers to time OF
events in the present tense: The
borough Of Athy, in the county Kildare,
ia tne barony OF Narragh and Rheban.
is situated OH the river Barrow The
neighboring country is pleasant; a lime
stone soil better adapted for agriculture
than pas5urage. The town owes its
| foundation to two nonasteries, erected
on each side OF the river at the entran ce
of an extensive wood i'll the thirteenth
century. That ON the west slde ofs tue
river was founded by Richard de ST.
Michael, lord Of Rheban, under the in
vocation of ST. John, or rather st.
| Thomas, for croucied friacs The pre-
cincts Of this monastery extended from
| the river at the foot OF the nridge, Con-
tanning all that part Of the tow,i called
st. John and St. Johns land; and the
domain consisted Of the island in the
river and the adjacent fields as far rs
the present barracks. This friary with
it's appurtenancas at thedissolution Was
granted in August, 1875: to Anthony
Power, which. reverting to tbs Crown,
was granted by act OF Parliament Of
the 17th and 18th Charles II. to Dame
Mary Meredith. Part Of the walls OF
this church still. remain. The monas
terry on the east side OF the river was
founded in 1858 by the families Of the
Boisels and Hogans, Tor Dominicans.
Its precincts extended from the river
along the north side Of the present
church TO the corner of the street lead
ing to Preston's IS Gate, and from thence
to the gate and TO the rear Of the gar
dens OF the present house called the alb
bey. The domain consisted CT sixsmes-
suages i'll lie More, the present new
town: the islands in the Barrow and a
water mill at truileghore All of which
were granted Oh the :24th day OF Janu-
ary, the 35rh of King Henry Will,
A.. d. 1914, to Martin PILES III capite
forever at tue annual rent of Is. Sd.
Irish money. No remains Of bhis abbey
now exist, except the postern gate com
monty and corruptly called Preston's
Gate From these two monaaterieS the
place was denominated Bale da, thigh
OF Bla theach. pronounced Blahee,
which name it still retains in Irish (and
which, by the way, makes neither the
sound uor the sense here indicated. J
LAi
the English settlers, not only the monks;
but the inhabitants Of the town were
principally OF that nation, to Wuou.
were easily granted the imnlunities Of q
merchant OF market town, such as fa,irs
and markets, With the authority to levy
tolls, and. as such, is melitionetl prior
to the. fifteenth century, b:t which
Gu storns, by All act Of Parliament in 25sh
Henry vi, A. D. 144s, were to be
charged only on goods sold and exposed
to sale in the town, and not OH those
carried on the road through the town
or brought out OF it, In 1909 Lord John
de Brownsville, slain near the town Of
Arstul, or Ascul, was inferred in tue
Church of st. Johns the year before
the town was burnt by the Irish. In
1915 Athy was plundered by the Scots
under Robert Bruce. who gained the
battle Of Ascul, in which were slain
Raymond le Grace and Sir William
Prendergast. and on the side Of the
Scots Sir Fergus Andressan and Sit
Walter Murray. all of whom were
buried in the Dominican Abbey, Atby.
In 1917 Sir John Athy. a native Of this
town, took at sea the famous pirate,
Thomas Dover, cut off his head and
brought it to Dublin. In 1347: q dis
pute arose between the nlonasteries
relative to the fishing weir OF the Do.
minicans, when the prior Of st. Johns,
with some others, were indicted for
stealing fish out Of it to the damage of
9l00 and upwards. About the year
14224. Thomas, the seventh Earl Of Kill
dare. then Lord Ofay, married Doro-
thea, daughter of Anthony O'More Of
LEX. and with her obtained the nanors
Of Rheban and Woodstock. and in them
erected court, bawn and court leet,
which still held. Woodstock had been
built about the time of the formation
of st. Johns Abbey, by Richard St.
Michael, lord of Rheban, as an append
~ kho of n,,nropoooe,